Drivers were asked to perform certain tasks with automotive voice commands, and according to the AAA’s findings, “less distracting” systems had distracted drivers for a maximum 15 seconds, while those classified as more distracting had thrown drivers off their focus for up to 27 seconds. The majority of the test subjects used the infotainment and hands-free technologies for five days, and there was no marked difference in the difficulty encountered on the first and the fifth day. AAA considers a mental distraction rating of two and higher to be potentially unsafe. At the 25 m.p.h. speed limit in the study, drivers traveled the length of almost three football fields during this time.
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Of the 10 vehicles tested, AAA found the Chevrolet Equinox’s voice recognition features were least distracting for drivers, with a 2.4 rating.
Working with scientists, the vehicle owners’ safety division observed that this type of ongoing diversion increases the danger in traffic while using mobile phones and automobile infotainment techniques. Far too many people are dying because of distraction on the roadway, and putting another source of distraction at the fingertips of drivers is not a good idea. They found Google Now was more intuitive – and slightly less distracting – than Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana.
Hands-free technology on the road may not be making it less distracting for those behind the wheel.
The worst was the Mazda 6 sedan, with a cognitive distraction rating of 4.6. While sending voice-activated texts, Google Now rated as a category 3.3 distraction, while Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana rated as category 3.7 and category 4.1 distractions. Even when drivers use the right commands, the systems don’t always understand them.
This latest research is in line with previous AAA Foundation reports on the dangers of verbal texting while driving and with calls by the National Transportation Safety Board to ban all phone conversations behind the wheel, even with hands-free devices.
But on this one we are in rare agreement with Rep. Cory Atkins (D-Concord), who told the Herald last week that the distraction posed by hands-free devices is “not as bad as hand-held” and should be permitted.
Majority of road accidents in the US are caused by human errors, typically distracted drivers.
Researchers also examined the effect of using voice commands to control phone systems while driving.
AAA Foundation researchers say that a category 1 mental distraction is about the same as listening to the radio or an audio book. By AAA’s scale, a 2 distraction is about equivalent to talking on a phone, while a level-5 distraction is equal to “a highly-challenging, scientific test created to overload a driver’s attention”.
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Joel Cooper, a University of Utah research assistant professor of psychology, stated voice-command technology may not be reliable enough to be considered safe for drivers.
